


The View From Halfway Down

by BarnaboysWilloughby (SheriffsLop)



Series: The Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU !! [5]
Category: The Willoughbys (2020)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Addiction, Aged-Up Character(s), BAMF Jane Willoughby, Backstory, Bitchy! Jane Willoughby, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, F/M, Future Fic, High School, Loosely Based on the AU, Mental Health Issues, Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU, Multi, No Smut, Not for the faint of heart, Other, Prequel, Spiraling, The Angstiest of Them All, The kids endure more pain, Toxic Relationships, Underage Drinking, Very Foul Mouthed Teens, car crashes, high school parties, sensitive topics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:55:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28869645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheriffsLop/pseuds/BarnaboysWilloughby
Relationships: Barnaby A Willoughby/Original Female Character(s), Jane Willoughby & Tim Willoughby, Jane Willoughby/Original Male Character(s), Linda | Nanny/Commander Melanoff (The Willoughbys), The Willoughby Siblings, Tim Willoughby/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU !! [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961206
Kudos: 3





	1. Pompeii - Bastille

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕆𝕟𝕖 :

ℙ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕖𝕚𝕚 - 𝔹𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖

◟ ◞

“ **_ Tiiim _ ** **__ ** !!”

The oldest Willoughby turned around as he walked inside the school with his siblings, he was approached by both of his best friends since middle school, Annie and Cate. Annie quickly pinched A.’s cheeks before she moved onto B.’s.

Jane simply scoffed at the shrill sound of Annie’s squeals as she tugged hair behind her ear. She glanced down at her phone before she recognized that she had been sent a message from both Nikki and Andrea to meet them at their usual spot in the commons area so they could compare schedules.

“I’ll see you bitches later,” she said.

She hiked her backpack higher on her back as she split off from her brothers and her older brother’s obnoxious friends so she could meet with her own far cooler friends.

“See you at lunch,” Tim called after her.

She simply lifted her hand over her shoulder and raised her middle finger to him.

He simply tugged a smile and shook his head. He knew she was cold and distant, over the years, Jane was worse and worse about how affection and love was received – it seemed like once she started getting periods, the entire world got dark to her. As long as they met up at lunch, he knew everything was okay between them. 

“Hey Annie,” A. managed.

“I can’t believe you two are starting school here at Heritage !!” Annie squeaked. “And just to think, you two would’ve been wasting away in that middle school of yours last year if you guys didn’t take the big step to skip a grade like your sister did – if you need a place to sit at lunch, feel free to find our table, we have seats available for you two.”

“That is if Queen’s fat ass doesn’t come and sit down with us,” Cate snickered. “Alone, she takes up half the table.”

“Hey, be nice,” Tim scolded. “You’re over – exaggerating.”

“Face it, Tim,” Cate insisted. “She has to make two trips to carry all of her ass.”

He fought back a smile,  because . . . well, Queen was on the heavier side, but that still didn’t give Cate much of a reason to be mean to her about it. She was Tim’s girlfriend after all, and he was going to protect her honor, even when she wasn’t around. That’s what a good boyfriend did, right ?

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” B. claimed. “Right, A. ?”

“Of course,” A. agreed. “I brought my tablet, so maybe we could take turns playing games – isn't that allowed here ?”

“Yeah, teachers don’t really give a shit if you use your electronics at lunch,” Cate reassured. “And some don’t even care if you use them in class – Mister Lockheart is so damn  blind, he wouldn’t even notice if you were on your phone the entire class period.”

“I actually have him for Algebra,” A. claimed. “Well, my schedule says I do.”

“Good luck actually learning anything in his class,” Annie said. “Once someone asks him about his wife or his dog, he won’t stop talking about them.”

“Sweet,” A. chuckled to himself.

\---

In the commons area, Jane had met up with Nikki and Andrea and they were comparing their schedules.

“We only have English together,” Andrea groaned. “Why do you two have almost every class together ?”

“Nik, Jane and I don’t have Algebra two together,” Nikki pointed out. “We also don’t have astronomy together – I have those two classes with you two.”

Jane felt her body tense as a heavy forearm swung over her shoulders and she managed to squirm out of the uncomfortable side hug, before he crossed her arms and backed up to Andrea and Nikki. She rose an eyebrow in annoyance at the boy who stood in front of her.

“Come on, Janey,” he said. “Vacation’s up, I’m here now. It wasn’t like you were  gonna get away from me forever, especially after the whole school thinks you gave me a blowjob last year.”

She scrunched her nose at the thought, she wanted to break up with him, start this year new . . . but after he told everyone that, she felt like she had to stay with him, even though that’s not how the event went down at all. It was after a game last year, and he took her to Ham Bros. and then tried to guilt her into doing some . . . stuff with him, because of course, all the other guys with girlfriends do stuff together, so why weren’t  they ? She refused to do so, and then in turn, he told everyone that they had did . . .  _ that _ .

She wanted to break up with him a long time ago, but it seemed she could never find a way out without him doing something to hurt her or make her stay. First it was rumors about sex, then he threatened to send her nudes to every guy on the football team  ( nudes that she was pressured into  taking ) , he was overall so vile when he was upset, and after years of them being together . . . she knew not to make him upset, and tell him nearly anything he wanted to hear, but still, he didn’t break her completely. 

He was not entitled to her body.

He never would be.

No man was and that wasn’t changing.

“Hey Troy,” Nikki started. “So, how was sucking Gina Blaire’s face off at Palm Springs this summer ?”

“If you’re going to be a total slut, I wouldn’t plaster it all over Pictogram,” Andrea commented.

“Why do you even hang out with these bitches,  Jane ? ” Troy asked. “They obviously hate me – I'm your boyfriend, you’re supposed to stick by  _ me _ .”

“Hm, Nikki has a point,” Jane insisted. “You did cheat on me all summer.”

“We were on a  _ break _ ,” Troy reminded. “You said, last year, that you wanted to go on a break all summer, because of something that I  _ supposedly  _ did.”

“You threw my phone out the car window because you were mad that I was texting Tim !!” Jane shouted.

She simply scoffed and rolled her eyes, before she felt Nikki and Andrea’s hands on her shoulders as they pulled her away from their normal spot in the commons towards the girl’s bathroom.

“Oh, go ahead, Jane,” he called after her. “Run away, like you always do.”

They shut the door behind themselves before Nikki locked it.

“Asshole,” she muttered. “You should totally break up with him.”

“I wish I could,” Jane sighed.

“J., you can break up with him,” Andrea reassured. “There’s not a written law that says you have to stay with him, especially when he treats you like shit all the time. Hey, I’ll even do it for you – my dad’s the mayor, nothing Shrimp – ules can do would ever hurt me.”

“You guys wouldn’t understand,” Jane claimed. “It’s harder than you think it is. I wish I could, but . . . bad things would happen if I did. He has like, every means of contacting me, he knows where I live. I just . . . I can’t risk it, not right now. Besides, I don’t want my parents to tell me the whole ‘I told you so’ thing.”

“Well, you know we’re always here for you,” Nikki insisted. “What’s he going to do, ruin all of our  lives ? I’d like to see him try.”

“Don’t worry about it, girls,” Jane said. “Let’s not let this ruin our day.”

\---

Tim sat in his usual spot with Annie, Cate, and the twins in the commons, as Annie was showing them pictures of when she went to Cabo in Mexico for her summer vacation. He looked up before he saw a guy, about his height, with the most  punchable ( that is, if Tim were any good at  fighting ) face he had seen in years. He glanced to Annie and Cate, who rolled their eyes at the sight of him.

Troy Baker.

“So, Willoughby,” he started. “What was it like to have your sister put her lipstick on your dipstick last  summer ? With the way she just rejected me, it seems she had your  _ shaft  _ down her  _ throat  _ the entire time !!”

“E - Excuse  me ? ” Tim asked.

“You heard me,” Troy insisted. “Must be nice having someone suck your dick.”

“What the hell’s your  deal ? ” Cate asked.

“Yeah, man ?” Annie asked. “What’s your damage ?”

“I could ask my own girlfriend the same thing,” Troy claimed. “It seems that she cares about this lanky  _ fuck  _ than she does her own  _ boyfriend _ .”

“Because he’s her brother ?” B. mentioned.

“Whatever,” Troy dismissed. “Just leave my girlfriend alone.”

“Can’t  promise ? ” Tim commented.

He craned his neck back as Troy shoved his middle finger to his face, before he shoved his hands in his pocket and left towards where some of the guys on the football team sat.

“Ugh, I thought he would’ve moved over the summer,” Tim groaned.

“I thought he was supposed to ?” Annie asked. “Then your poor sister would’ve been home free.”

“Unfortunately, his dad didn’t have enough money to keep  Cheeserino’s open in more than one location,” Tim claimed. “And most of his family’s here in New York, so here he stays.”

“Ugh, I’m surprised they can even afford to keep a place open down here,” Cate claimed. “His family’s not even Italian – they're from Wisconsin.”

“If you want some really good pizza, try ‘DeLuca’s’,” Annie insisted. “Vito and Nicolette make amazing pizzas, and they even have a reward system – like if you get  ten punches in your card, you can get a free personal pan pizza and medium fountain drink.”

“Hm,” Tim said. “Doesn’t the café by your parents’ place do that ?”

“Yeah !!” Annie agreed.

“I tried explaining a reward system to my mom and she told me the reward is eating at our truck in the first place,” Cate claimed. “ But, I won’t deny that some of the foods that come out of our truck aren’t treats within themselves – a hot bowl of pho on a cold  day ? Unbeatable.”

“Your mom’s pho is the only kind I eat,” Tim claimed. “Doesn’t overwhelm the taste buds.”

“And the smell is still really good,” Annie agreed. “I went to another place with my parents a little while back and the restaurant was definitely not authentic. I talked to the owner and he said he was ‘ inspired ’ by a trip he took to Vietnam in his college years.”

“I think it would be nice to go to Vietnam and learn about the culture,” B. claimed.

“Hey, as long as I can go too,” A. insisted. “It’d be nice to travel the globe with my twin – maybe we could end up marrying twins from another country ?”

“Eh, pass,” B. said. “I feel like it would get too confusing.”

“Just take by advice and don’t open up a restaurant just because you feel inspired by another country’s food,” Annie suggested.

“And don’t try to take business away from my mom’s truck,” Cate added. “She’s already mad that the Chaus opened a restaurant close by our normal spot.”

“Well, your family’s truck is still better,” Tim reassured. “Besides, it’s nice to talk to your parents when we go and get something to eat. Your mom’s not afraid to say what’s what.”

“Unfortunately,” Cate sighed. “You should’ve heard the chewing out I got when she found out about my tramp stamp. Luckily, I got the Ace of Spades after our trip to Miami, so she wouldn’t have seen it. It really  harshes someone’s vibe when their artistic expression is diminished.”

“Well, you used to do ink paintings,” Annie reminded. “It’s not like you could get in trouble for doing those, and they’re less expensive.”

“Ugh, thanks mom,” Cate groaned. “I wish I had cool parents like yours, Annie.”

“Oh, come on, my parents are nothing compared to Tim’s parents,” Annie insisted. “I like the Commander and Missus Linda, they really care about all of you guys and want you all to be yourself.”

“They’re not always super chill,” Tim claimed.

“They’ve just given up on trying with Jane,” A. added. “You can only tell a girl not to wear a crop top and shorts to school so many times before you get the message that she’s not listening to you.”

“We still have a curfew on the weekdays,” Tim said. “We have to be home by nine unless an  extracurricular calls for it.”

“My  mom’s loosened up over the years, I’ll admit that, and my older siblings have definitely had it harder,” Cate admitted. “Tonya wasn’t even allowed to have sleepovers at our own house because my mom was so strict about them.”

“And look at her now,” Annie laughed. “She lets you have sleepovers where Tim’s at them, and you can party on the weekends as long as you’re back before one in the morning.”

“Yeah,” Cate chuckled. “I guess she has her moments where she’s kind of cool. She’s even letting me go to prom and homecoming this year, even though all the years before she said that it was too expensive and that I could actually be making money if I stayed back and worked on the truck.”

“So that means we’re all going to homecoming and prom together,  right ? ” Annie asked.

“I could definitely rent a limo, and we could all come together,” Tim insisted. “The twins, Jane, you guys and whoever you’re bringing, and Queen -”

“Ugh, why ?” Cate asked.

“Because she’s my girlfriend,” Tim reminded. “Look, I know you guys don’t like her, but I do, and I want her to feel special -”

“Tim, your relationship with her is so one – sided,” Annie claimed. “When was the last time she’s kissed you, or told you that she loved you ?”

“She cares,” Tim defended.

“No, she doesn’t,” both twins chorused.

He scowled and shifted them a squint, before A. simply shrugged at him, as if to say ‘We’re being honest’, which . . . unfortunately, they were, but Tim wouldn’t admit that. He was tired of relationships failing on him, after he and Annie didn’t work out in the seventh grade, and then later on he tried to date the girls’ track team leader, Diane, which also didn’t work out. Queen simply hadn’t broken up with him, and he was trying to make sure that she wouldn’t realize how lame he was and break up with him – besides, he had competition, because the other guys in the student council also liked her. She could leave him for one of them at any given moment and he wasn’t ready to handle that hurt again, so he was going to give Queen all  he got.

“She’s just not very loud with her love,” Tim excused. “She loves quietly.”

“By ‘quietly’, I assume you mean ‘silently’,” Annie remined.

“I could say the same thing about you and Justin Carmichael,” Tim said. 

“His phone broke during the summer and he couldn’t afford one until a week ago !!” Annie squealed.

“No, it didn’t,” both twins chorused.

\---

“Do you think it’s safe to go back out to our table ?” Jane asked.

“I doubt he would’ve stuck around and waited for you,” Andrea reassured. “And if he did, we can just find your brothers and stick close to them.”

Jane scrunched her eyebrows at the two girls and bit her lips together.

“Are you sure ?” Jane asked. “My brothers are kind of losers, and I know you guys would get fun of if you were seen around them – it's social suicide.”

“Being around Troy would be mental suicide,” Nikki insisted. “I’d rather be seen around a few losers than stay around a lowlife shit like Troy.”

“Really ?” Jane asked. “I wouldn’t want for them to like, destroy your reputation.”

“It’s not a big deal, Jane,” Andrea said. “With the level we’re at, the rumors around the school will be that your lame – o brothers got the opportunity to be seen near us, rather than we stooped to a weirdo level.”

Jane laughed at Andrea’s inquiry before she shrugged and got off the edge of the sink.

“You’re right,” she agreed. “He’s probably off with the football team by now.”

Jane saw her phone buzz in her hand, before she saw that she had received a text from Tim.

“ _ What’s your boyfriend’s  _ _ problem _ ? ”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she text him back.

“Specifically ?” she texted.

Nikki strained before she unlocked the door and pushed it open, where there was a line of girls in front of the door, lined up to use the bathroom.

“Ugh, it’s you three in  there ? ” a smaller girl asked.

“You talk a lot of shit for someone in a training bra, Patty Novak,” Nikki dismissed.

The girl instinctively covered her chest, before she scowled and looked away.

“And you look like you haven’t brushed your hair in a week,” another girl shaded.

“Funny, since we all know your family has to shower at the truck stop, Olivia Hathaway,” Andrea commented as they left. “Poor bitch.”

Jane simply followed and glared at the line of girls.

No girl dared to say anything to her, or else they knew that would be the last thing they could say in this school before the rest of their days were spent by the trashcan at lunch – exiled away from all those that could potentially talk to them for the rest of the year. You could as any student about Penelope Stewart or Quinn Louis and no student would know who they were since they spent all of last year by the trashcans in Jane’s little exile for all those that dared to stand up to her.

They walked out to see that their seats were vacant, Troy was nowhere to be seen, so they sat down in their normal seats, before Jane saw that Tim had texted again.

“ _ He came and asked how good it felt to suck my dick all  _ _ summer  _ ? ”

Jane scoffed at the notion – not because she didn’t believe Tim, but because she did. As long as she didn’t hear rumors coming back around that she and Tim weren’t somehow sexually connected, then she wasn’t too bothered. Anyone with a brain knew that would be so far from the truth, and that Troy ran his mouth about anything when he didn’t get his way, like an oversized toddler.

“Well, we both know I didn’t, so as long as neither of us hear rumors saying I did, then we should be fine,” Jane texted back.

“I hope he doesn’t say anything,” his text was quick. “If Queen heard that, she’d break up with me for sure. I know Daniel and Dewey are just waiting for that to happen.”

Jane simply scoffed and rolled her eyes at the mention of Queen, before she sent back the eyeroll emoji and turned her phone screen off to look back up at Andrea and Nikki.

“ Troy ? ” Nikki asked.

“We’ll go to the football table with you if -” Andrea offered.

“No, Tim,” Jane corrected. “Said Troy was pestering him about something.”

“Ugh, that guy cannot take a message,” Nikki sighed.

“Unfortunately, neither can my brother,” Jane sighed. “He’s still with that beached whale bitch.”

“Queen ?” Nikki asked.

“I’m surprised he can even get his arms around her neck,” Andrea claimed. “She could try and wrap someone’s small  intestine around her fat ass and it still wouldn’t connect.”

“I don’t know what he sees in her,” Jane claimed.

“Probably himself,” Andrea teased.

“Don’t be shitty,” Jane sighed. “I’m being serious.”

“We don’t know either,” Nikki soothed. “Queen is one of the most unpleasant people I’ve ever been around, and that’s saying a lot, since I’m a bitch if I need to be.”

“You’re a bitch all the time,” Andrea pointed out.

“Look who’s talking,” Nikki reminded.

“I’m not a bitch, I’m honest,” Andrea insisted. “It’s not like Olivia Hathaway’s family isn’t living out of a trailer park, where the water only works twice a month. Everyone’s seen her and her family coming out of the showers at the truck stop. It’s honest.”

“Then, can’t I claim honesty when I pointed out that the only thing flatter than Patty Novak’s chest is an ironing  board ? ” Nikki asked.

Jane simply tuned them out as she looked across the commons at the table where she saw Troy and the other football guys, as they hooted, hollered, and made gestures that she could only assume meant something about all the girls they banged the previous summer, and Troy was among them, probably trying to act like a big shot on how he hooked up with Gina Blaire while he was still with Jane.

She gave a small smile to herself, and a laugh at her thought she kept quiet as Nikki and Andrea talked about their meanings of what ‘honest’ meant, even though both girls were way off base by what they thought being honest was.

At least she didn’t want to sleep with Troy, he was probably a cesspool of disease. All she hoped was that poor Gina was smart enough to use protection and still go and get checked for S. T.Ds just to be safe. You could never be too careful when it came to that guy . . . if only he would leave Jane be. She wished that the cosmos had listened to her and made him move all the way to Palm Springs so he could bother that Gina Blaire girl with his problems rather than her.

Why was the world so  cruel ?

\---

Tim looked up from Annie’s phone to see that Queen had come and sat next to him in their normal spot.

“Hey honey -” he greeted.

“Queen’s fine,” she dismissed.

“S - Sorry, Queen,” he apologized. “Miss me over the  summer ? I know that you were super busy in the Philippines with your aunt, so I know I didn’t text much.”

“Dewey texted me enough while I was gone,” she claimed. “And Daniel even sent me some of my favorite snacks from here. I barely even heard a word from you all summer. It doesn’t even seem like you’re serious about being my boyfriend anymore.”

“But you told me that you’d be too busy to talk,” Tim claimed. “I didn’t want to seem like I was demanding your attention.”

“Still, a few texts would’ve been nice,” she said.

“Why didn’t you text first ?” Annie questioned. “It’s not the eighties anymore. The guy doesn’t have to make the first move all the time.”

“He’s not a mind reader,” Cate commented.

“Guys, she’s right,” Tim excused. “I could’ve been more attentive than I was.”

“You texted her once a week, every week,” A. reminded.

“She never responded,” B. added.

“I - I could’ve texted  everyday !!” Tim exclaimed.

“Hm, but you didn’t,” Queen said.

“I - I’ll walk you to your first class,” Tim stuttered.

“Daniel already said he would,” Queen dismissed. “I should probably meet him by his locker, since he actually wanted to put some sort of effort into us over the summer.”

“Queen -” Tim started.

“Bye Tim,” she said. “Don’t even bother finding me later, since that seems to be too much for you to do.”

“I’m -”

He could barely even get an apology in, before she flipped her hair and stood from the seat before she walked into one of the hallways full of lockers, possibly to meet with Daniel before they went to whatever Queen’s first class was. Tim  then realized; he had no idea what her first class was.

What a great boyfriend he was being, note the sarcasm.

“Why don’t you just let her  leave ? ” Annie asked.

“You’d be better off without here anyways,” Cate claimed. “Even my mom told you that when she first met Queen, and you said it yourself, my mom tells it like she sees it.”

“I can’t just give up on her,” Tim claimed.

“What if she’s already given up on  you ? ” Cate asked. “Think about it – don't we have first hour trigonometry together, Annie ?”

“Oh, right !!” Annie exclaimed. “I heard Mister Jones hates when people are late to his class. We better get going. Hey  B.Bs , you should go too. The halls get pretty cramped if you don’t hurry.”

“Let’s try not to get trampled on the first day,” B. insisted.

“Not favorable,” A. agreed. “Bye Tim.”

Both twins packed up their things before they started to walk in the direction towards the staircase, which lead to a story dedicated to Freshman so they’ll have an easier time adjusting to the school instead of being thrust right into the chaos.

Tim simply sighed and picked up his backpack, before he went to where Jane and her friends sat. He gave a rather sarcastic bow as he approached the girls.

“Your majesties,” he greeted.

“Tim,” the three girls chorused.

“What are you doing  here ? ” Jane asked.

“Well, Mister Weatherwax’s classroom is on the way to Missus Lindsey’s,” he claimed. “Maybe I could walk you to class ?”

Jane gave a small semblance of what seemed to be a smile before she left the table and held her arm out to wink at him.

“Maybe I might pull you into a janitor’s closet and give you a quick . . . you  know ? ” she joked.

She made a pumping motion with her hand, which caused him to snicker and shake his head.

“Oh, wouldn’t Troy love  that ? ” he teased.

“Who cares what he thinks anymore ?” Jane asked. “I’d film that shit and send it to him. Bye girls, see you at lunch.”

“Later, bitch,” Andrea called to her. “We’re going to Ham Bros., Nikki’s driving.”

“Why do I have to drive ?”

“How can you stand being around those  two ? ” Tim asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Jane commented. “Daniel, Dewey, Queen ?”

“Hah - hah,” he deadpanned. “Very funny.”


	2. That's All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❇ || Song Rec !! ; " That's All " - Genesis !!  
> ❇ || Trigger Warning !! ; Mention of Car Crashes, Abusive Relationships !!

◜ ◝ 

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕨𝕠 : 

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥'𝕤 𝔸𝕝𝕝 

◟ ◞ 

Jane looked up from her homework that was assigned in her English class – an essay introducing herself to the teacher, which was due next week. She turned to see Tim in her doorway, before she managed to smile at the sight of his keys, jingling in his hand. She shut her laptop, before she put it to the side, and got up from her bed. She put the wooden wedges she wore to school that day back on before she walked to the door.

“ Boba ? ” he asked.

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” she agreed.

She followed him down the stairs before they saw Nanny, cooking what seemed to be barbequed chicken sandwiches with Ruth.

“Nanny, we’re going out for boba,” Tim called.

“Okay, Tim, be back before eight,” she called after him. “I’m trying something new tonight !!”

Tim simply nodded, before he led Jane out the door and to his car that was shiny – he took good care of it, if paint was chipping, he brought it in for a paint job. If the engine didn’t sound right, it was immediately in the shop, getting looked at. It always smelled nice inside, and was rarely messy. According to him, his car was a direct reflection of himself, therefore, it needed to look nice, always.

He put the key in the ignition and turned on the radio, even though the volume was super low, just so they had some ambience through the car as they drove to and around the city.

“So,” he started.

“So,” Jane echoed.

“How was  today ? ” he asked.

“Shitty,” she answered. “ You ? ”

“Shitty,” he agreed. “Queen didn’t talk to me all day, and then I just got a text from her, asking why I didn’t talk to her all day. I think she’s mad at me.”

“What’s  new ? ” Jane asked.

“You’re acting like your boyfriend is the world’s greatest boyfriend,” he pointed out. “Queen’s just not great with communicating. She’s getting better with it -”

“ _ Wow, she’s actually saying things to  _ _ you _ ? ” Jane remarked.

Her tone was coated with sarcasm, which he was used to at this point, and not just from her – from everyone. He was simply far too stubborn to admit that Queen obviously didn’t love him the same way he loved her, and he just didn’t want to give up – he didn’t want to be alone anymore.

He simply furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

“Don’t be an ass,” he responded.

“I’m just telling you what I see from it,” she said. “I think she treats you, and us, like garbage. She expects you to read her mind, and last I checked, nobody in the family’s psychic.”

“Well, our great – great – great – great – great aunt Esma-” he started.

“ _ Tim _ ,” Jane scolded.

“She was !!” he exclaimed.

“But you’re not,” she claimed. “And she needs to stop expecting that you’re going to beg for her attention. You shouldn’t have to beg for attention from her if she really loved you.”

“What would you know about  love ? ” Tim asked. “It seems like every other week, you and Troy are on again and off again – why don’t you just break up with him ?”

“I want to !!” she exclaimed. “It’s just . . .  _ hard _ .”

“What’s so hard about it ?” he asked. “You don’t love him, and he doesn’t love you.”

“ At . . .” she hesitated. “At one point I did.”

“Are you sure about  that ? ” Tim asked. “Even in the beginning,  it didn’t seem like you were happy.”

“Why are you making this about  me ? ” she questioned.

“I’m concerned, Jane,” he answered. “I care about you, and I want you to know that you have an out. Nanny and  Melanoff would be proud to hear that you got that jackass out of your life.”

“You do too,” she insisted. “You’re a great guy, and you deserve someone that loves you and lets you know that they do – not someone that pushes your effort aside because they don’t think it’s enough.”

“How  abou we don’t talk about this for the rest of the car ride,” he proposed.

“As long as you don’t bring up Queen or Troy, I won’t,” Jane agreed.

“Sounds like a deal,” Tim agreed. 

“Good,” she confirmed.

They paused as the radio played, which was comforting in the awkward silence that filled the car. They stopped at a stoplight, before Tim drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel, and cleared his throat.

“Anything else particularly interesting happen today ?” he asked.

“Not really,” she answered.

“Me either,” he claimed. “I mean, Missus Lindsey sat down on a box of thumb tacks, but that’s not really interesting.”

“Juvenile,” Jane noted.

“Troy laughed,” he mentioned.

“Of course, he did,” she sighed.

“I wonder why he’s in gifted English,” Tim pondered.

“Aren’t we supposed to not be talking about them ?” Jane reminded.

“What else is there to talk about ?” he asked.

“ How’s . . .” she paused. “How’s Cate and Annie ?”

“Good,” he answered. “Annie went to Cabo over the summer, Cate went to Miami before she went and got a tattoo on her butt.”

“Sounds like Cate,” Jane chuckled.

“How are Andrea and Nikki ?” he asked.

“Still Andrea and Nikki,” she claimed. “Butting heads before being over it within the next five minutes and acting like nothing ever happened.”

“Who do you think would win in a fight between those  two ? ” Tim asked.

“Oh, definitely Nikki, with her gorilla hands,” Jane snickered. “Andrea’s smart and she has a pretty sharp tongue, but she doesn’t have the strength to back it all up. I don’t understand why she likes to run head first into conflict.”

“Little Girl Syndrome,” Tim claimed.

“ Ew , don’t say it like that,” Jane scolded. “We’re women.”

Tim laughed at Jane’s statement, before he reached over and pat her on the head.

“You wish,” he laughed.

“We’re not girls !!” she protested.

“And if I had wheels, I’d be a wagon,” he teased.

“You’re about to have wheels,” she said. “Because I’ll put you in a wheelchair if you keep it up.”

“Okay, okay, tiny evil,” he chuckled. “Don’t have to go that far.”

“I hate you,” she said.

“Will you love me again when I get you boba ?” he asked.

She squinted at him before she managed to smile and looked out the window.

“Perhaps,” she claimed.

“Good,” he said.

They pulled to the front of a local boba shop called “ Lollitea N.Y.C”, before they left the car and Tim popped a few quarters into a parking meter before they went inside and ordered their boba teas. Jane walked to their normal seat in the shop, by the window in the tall table with bar stools, while Tim went and ordered their respective normal orders.

He soon returned before he sat up in the normal seat with Jane.

She crossed her arms and let off at shutter as goosebumps formed along her skin.

“It’s freezing in here,” she mentioned.

Tim simply smiled and shook his head, before he pulled his jacket off his body and put it over her shoulders, before he  pat her on the back.

“Oh, such a gentleman,” she crooned.

She put her arms through the sleeves, which were a bit long on her, but she could easily shimmy her hands out of them so she could hold her boba. 

“Remember when we first started coming here ?” Jane asked. “It was because Annie’s family took us, since her mom goes out looking for businesses to support.”

“We used to play ‘Clue’ and I’d always win,” he claimed.

“I won sometimes,” Jane insisted.

“But I won almost all the time,” he reminded.

“Whatever,” she said. “It’s not like you always won with ‘Life’. That was the game I was the queen of.”

“Alright, princess,” he laughed.

“Tim !!” she whined. “Stop it !!”

They turned to see that there was a small Taiwanese woman with two cups full of bubble tea, before she set it on the table.

“Hi, Missus Wang,” Tim greeted. “You look down today. I guess it’s been a pretty down day, right ?”

“Hello Tim,” the woman greeted. “It is a very down  day, we haven’t been getting enough money from the shop to keep us open. We might have to close up shop soon.”

“Even after the  commercial ? ” Tim asked.

“Nobody watches T.V anymore, Tim,” Jane said. “Missus Wang, have you ever thought about getting a Pictogram  account ? Almost everyone has one, and it would get your message out to a lot of people.”

“Does it cost  money ? ” Missus Wang asked.

“It’s completely free if you have a phone,” Jane explained. “Want me to show  you ? ”

Missus Wang took her phone out of her apron before she handed her phone to Jane, before Jane downloaded Pictogram from the App Store and set up an account for the shop, before she took a picture of her tea and posted it as their first picture of the shop, before she used the same picture as the profile picture.

“So, here’s your profile, to get you started,” Jane said. “If you want to take more pictures of the products, you go to the small camera button at the bottom of the screen and you take pictures of the products you want to post. When you’re uploading, you can also put a description on the bottom of the pictures, something to really get your message around are hashtags, which is where you put a pound sign and then a word after it, with no spaces.”

“ Oh ? ” Missus Wang inquired.

“I promise, that might help you get your message around to more people,” Jane encouraged. “Be consistent with your posting, and you might have more customers in here by next week.”

“You should really become a business woman, Jane,” Missus Wang said. “You know how to run one better than me and my husband.”

“It’s just common teenage knowledge,” Jane excused. “Nothing this out of style, old man would know.”

“Hey !!” Tim exclaimed.

“Thank you, Jane,” Missus Wang dismissed. “Please, come by again, it’s always nice to have you two around the  shop. Your business means a lot to us.”

“Of course, Missus Wang,” Tim agreed. “You make some of the best boba in town.”

Jane giggled before she pushed his arm over the table.

“Kiss - ass,” she teased. 

“Shut up,” he laughed.

They started to sip on their  bobas , before Tim’s phone started ringing. 

“Let me take this,” he muttered.

He got off the bar stool and went outside as he answered the call at the front door and took it outside.

Jane tilted her head before she propped her head up on the table as she watched him take the call outside. She watched him, though she couldn’t hear his exact words and could only hear the muffled way he was speaking. She saw his hands make small, quick, exasperated movements as his tone would occasionally raise, as if he were on the losing side of an argument. She then made the connection that he was indeed in an argument, and he was the one losing the argument.

“That girlfriend of his does not let him have a break.”

Jane jumped at the sudden sound of a voice behind her, before she turned from the window to see Missus Wang. She bit the inside of her cheek and nodded.

“Unfortunately,” Jane agreed. “I don’t understand why he’s still with her.”

“Your brother is blinded by infatuation,” Missus Wang said. “Moon cake ?”

Jane looked at the small pastries in the short, stout woman’s hands.

“Oh, I shouldn’t take those from you without buying them -” Jane insisted.

“No, no,” Missus Wang refused. “I can’t use them  tomorrow; I don’t want them to go to waste. Take one.”

“Are you  sure ? ” Jane asked.

Missus Wang nodded, before she set two of them onto the table, atop two napkins.

“White Lotus, and red bean,” she mentioned.

“Thank you,” Jane said.

Missus Wang simply gave a smile and a nod, before she took the tray of moon cakes back to the kitchen.

The door to the tea shop then opened while Tim came back in with an exhausted sigh, he walked back to the table, before he sat down and noticed the moon cake on a napkin that was in front of them.

“Moon  cake ? ” he asked.

“ Queen ? ” Jane asked in response.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Good news, the theme of this year’s homecoming is ‘Neon Lights’, bad news, Queen doesn’t want to go, because a new movie she’s been wanting to see since last year’s coming out.”

“Tell her to have fun,” Jane said. “You’re going to homecoming.”

“I promised I’d take her,” he said. “I can’t back out now.”

“Tim, that’s not  _ fair  _ !!” Jane insisted. 

“It’s not fair to you because you want me there,” Tim reasoned. “But, hey, we’re not skipping out on prom. I can promise you that. Queen already ordered her dress and it’s going to be handmade down in Mexico.”

“But it’s the  Barnabys ’ first homecoming, and we always go together,” Jane pouted. “She can’t just do that to us – it's not like the movie’s going to up and leave overnight !!”

“She wants to go to the opening show,” Tim claimed. “She doesn’t want to hear any spoilers.”

“But that’s not -” Jane started.

“You’ll have fun without me,” he reassured. “Isn’t Andrea going to pick you guys up in her dad’s campaign limo, so you guys can arrive to the prom in style ?”

“But I  _ want  _ you there,” Jane insisted.

“Come on, Jane, we both know that I’d just cramp your style,” Tim said. “I mean, you do call me a loser when we’re at school, and you rarely interact with me unless you have to.”

“You know I don’t mean that,” Jane reminded.

“Considering how often you say that, it’s hard to tell what you do and don’t mean anymore,” he claimed.

“I don’t think you’re a loser,” she stated. “Then I wouldn’t be hanging out with you right now.”

“Yeah, because we’re alone,” he pointed out. “I doubt you’d be seen with me if we were at school.”

“You walked me to class today !!” she reminded. “I was with you then !!”

“And I immediately got asked questions like, ‘Wow, you were around  _ Jane  _ ? ’,” he said. “It’s gotten to the point where people don’t even realize that we’re  _ related _ . It seems like the only people that really know anymore are Nikki, Andrea, Annie, Cate, and Troy.”

“Other people know we’re related,” Jane insisted. “Look at us !!”

“You’re giving the students of Heritage High a lot more credit than they deserve,” Tim commented. “They’re not as smart as you think they are.”

“You’re being overdramatic,” she groaned.

“No, overdramatic is your boyfriend,” Tim said.

“ _ Tim _ ,” she scolded.

“Jane, what kind of guy accuses his own girlfriend of screwing a family member because she called him out on being a cheating, lying  jerk ? ” Tim asked.

“Okay, he’s a bit overdramatic too,” she agreed. “But it’s not like everyone in the school doesn’t know or understand that we’re brother and sister. We have the same last name, for cosmos sake.”

“I’m a nobody compared to you,” he insisted. “People only know me as vice president of the student council or Queen’s boyfriend. You’re  _ Jane  _ _ Willoughby _ , the prettiest girl in school, head cheerleader, the alpha. Everyone has some sort of image about you.”

“You’re acting like they’re all positive,” Jane sighed.

“Most of them are,” Tim claimed. “Vincent Lachey is still talking about that time you let him borrow a pen in your English class your sophomore year.”

“Ugh,” she scoffed. “Can’t people let shit like that go ?”

“No, because you’re  _ Jane  _ _ Willoughby _ ,” he said. “Nobody but you  has that high school royalty title.”

“It’s not all it seems to be,” she argued. “It’s like people are always watching me, and sometimes I get weird love letters in my locker from creeps at the school – I – I'm  always . . .  nevermind , you wouldn’t get it.”

“Get  what ? ” he asked.

His tone was much softer as he saw her expression fade a little into what seemed to be worry, and he knew they couldn’t keep arguing anymore. He cared too much about her to continue to pry at something when there was possibly a deeper issue than what he thought, and if something was going on at school, he wanted to know about it, so he could protect her, even if that meant watching from afar.

“It’s nothing,” she claimed. “I can handle it.”

He reached over the table in an attempt to touch her shoulder and comfort her.

“Are you sure ?” he asked.

She shifted her shoulder away and popped the last bite of her moon cake into her mouth.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m fine.”

“Okay,” he sighed.

He knew she wasn’t fine, but he didn’t want to piss her off by prying too hard into whatever it was. The most he could hope for is that she’ll come to him later, and tell him about it, like she did occasionally. He just didn’t want for her to not tell anyone if something dangerous was going on, and then it be too late and something . . .  _ happened  _ to her.

“If you say so,” he finished.

“We should probably get going,” she said. “I have an essay that’s due next week in my English class and I don’t want to get a bad grade on it.”

“Yeah, I have trigonometry homework,” he said. “I’d rather not be staying up until four in the morning trying to finish it up. I’m trying to be easy on my sleep schedule this year.”

“If you continue to be with Queen, you won’t be,” she shaded.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to be talking about  them ? ” he reminded.

“Well, we probably wouldn’t have if you didn’t get on the phone with her while we were having a good time together,” Jane said.

“ So you’re mad at  me ? ” he asked.

“I’m not  _ mad  _ -” she said.

“Well, it seems like you’re mad at me again,” he pointed out.

“I’m frustrated,” she claimed.

“That’s the same thing,” he said.

“No, it’s not !!” she exclaimed. “Have I kicked  you ? No ? Then, I’m not mad.”

“That’s not exactly a valid criteria,” he said.

“Whatever,” she dismissed. “I haven’t even looked at my phone once because I wanted to get away from all the bullshit of the outside world for a minute, and you were on yours for a good chunk of time while we were here.”

“I can’t just ignore my girlfriend !!”  he argued.

“Like she didn’t ignore you all summer ?” she asked.

“Not you too,” he sighed. “She was busy.”

“Texting those double – D douchebags,” Jane claimed. “Yeah, one of them wouldn’t shut up about it during Phys. Ed., so everyone knows now, Tim.”

He simply sighed, defeated, before he shook his head. He crumpled up the napkin that was covered in pastry crumbs, before he added Jane’s napkin to the ball and took both of their empty cups to the trash can before she met up with him at the door.

“Where is your phone  anyway ? ” he asked.

“In the car,” she said. “So I didn’t have it to distract me.”

They both got into his car and she leaned her elbow onto the window and shifted away from him.

He could tell she was upset, by the way her eyebrows seemed frozen in grouchy arches, and the way she was leaning away from him. She hadn’t even checked her phone yet, which goes to show . . . maybe he shouldn’t have taken that call from Queen while they were there.

“Jane, I’m -”

“Save it.”

He gave a soft sigh as he started up the car and backed out of their parking space before they made their way back home though the never – ending N.Y.C traffic. It was a silent ride home, with only the ambience of the radio filling what was a depressing silence.

Her phone went off a few times and it seemed like someone was blowing it up, or they had been for  awhile , before Tim knitted his eyebrows.

“Jane, your phone,” he said.

She shook her head before she picked it up and unlocked it before she saw that she had three missed calls and thirty – eight unread text messages from Troy.

“ _ Where are you _ ?”, “ _ What are you doing _ ?”, “ _ Why aren’t you answering me _ ?”, “ _ Hello  _ ???”, “ _ I’m coming over. _ ”, “ _ Why aren’t you at your  _ _ house  _ ? ”, “ _ I bought you flowers and shit _ .”, “ _ Wasting my money. _ ”, “ _ Fucking ingrate. _ ”, “ _ Where are  _ _ you  _ ? ”, “ _ Who are you  _ _ with _ ? ”, “ _ You better not be with your brother or I’ll fucking end you. _ ”, “ _ It’s over _ .”, “ _ You’re done. _ ”, “ _ Stupid bitch, answer your phone _ .”

“ **_ Uuugh _ ** ,” she groaned.

“What ?” he asked.

“Troy went to the house and I wasn’t there,” she answered. “He’s pissed off now.”

“Let him be pissed,” Tim answered.

Jane’s eyebrows went up in alarm, before she saw a text from Nikki.

“ _ J., Troy’s in the hospital, he got into a car accident outside your dad’s factory. He tried to hit one of the twins because he didn’t tell him where you were. _ ”

“ **_ Shit  _ ** !!” she shouted.

“ What ? ” he asked.

Jane didn’t answer Tim, but she instantly typed back Nikki.

“ _ Is the twin  _ _ okay  _ ? ”

“ _ Yeah, Troy missed him and hit your mom’s van, but your mom’s car’s trashed. _ ”

“We have to go to the hospital,” Jane said. “Troy got into a car accident.”

“I - Is he  okay ? ” Tim asked.

“I - I don’t know, but he went to the house and he hit Nanny’s van and -” she sputtered.

“Whoa, whoa, Jane, shouldn’t we go and check on our family  first ? ” he asked.

“Nikki says they’re fine,” Jane said, with her voice being quick -  _ panicked _ . “Troy got hurt and -”

Tim pulled over onto the side of the country side road, where the  chainlink fence of  Melanoff’s factory began, before he stopped the car and reached over to cup her cheeks.

“Jane,” he said, sternly.

“Tim, Troy’s hurt -” she started.

“Yes, but we should go home,” he suggested. “Besides, you’re not in any state to go to the hospital to talk to him. He went there to go and piss you off, and he knows he got hurt. He’ll use that to play mind games on you and make you feel  like the bad guy.”

“But -” she started.

“Jane, I will bring you back into the house even if that means that I have to carry you in there myself and lock you in your room,” he said.

“But -” she repeated.

“We’re going home,” he stated.

He started the car up again, before he drove them inside the factory fence and back to where the house was on the property. An ambulance was being loaded with who could possibly be Troy, as  Melanoff stood outside with the police and filed a report for Nanny’s van, while Nanny stood on the porch, with her hands on B.’s shoulders while A. sat next to them. Nikki was on the porch with her arms crossed, before she noticed Tim and Jane pull up.

Tim pulled Jane out of the car and kept his hands on her head to prevent Jane from looking back and running towards the ambulance to talk to him.

“Jane, honey, go inside,” Nanny instructed. “And Nikki, I think you should head back home.”

“A - Are you sure Missus Linda ?” Nikki asked. “I can stay here with Jane -”

“I got her,” Tim said. “You can text her later.”


End file.
